All Blacks captain Scott Barrett’s Super Rugby Pacific return up in the air

Wednesday, 6 May 2026

The Crusaders have yanked the brakes on All Blacks captain Scott Barrett’s return to Super Rugby.

Barrett, who has been on a non-playing sabbatical, and opted to have surgery to repair a troublesome ankle and Achilles during his break from the game, was tracking towards a return after training with the team a fortnight ago.

However, Crusaders head coach Rob Penney said the 32-year-old’s body hadn’t handled an up-tick in training intensity, clouding his return to play timeline.

“Probably not,” Penney said when asked if Barrett could return after next weekend’s bye.

“Again, we’re taking that one week at a time, but he’s just struggling to get back to where he wants to be as he gets his body right.”

After training at One New Zealand Stadium with the team ahead of Super Round, the Crusaders were hopeful the lock forward would return in the next few weeks.

But that came with a caveat.

Despite Penney stating Barrett was ‘in great shape’, he maintained it would depend how his body reacted when they ramped up his training load.

“I talked about it a month or so ago as he was easing himself in, as the intensity ramps up, was his body going to be able to cope with that, and it just has got a couple of squeaky moments that he needs to work his way through. So we will see when he’s back.”

Penney didn’t elaborate what Barrett was troubled by, but said the surgically repaired Achilles was not to blame for the delay.

With Barrett, who wasn’t spotted training during the window open to media the past two weeks, likely to miss the Crusaders’ round 15 game against the Chiefs in Christchurch, he is quickly running out of runway to feature in Super Rugby at all.

The defending champions’ only other regular season game is against the Hurricanes on May 29, also in Christchurch, and whether they feature in the playoffs will depend on how they perform in their final three games.

Indeed, fifth on the ladder with three crunch derbies to go, there is no guarantee the Crusaders will be playing sudden-death rugby in June.

Not that Barrett needs to prove anything in Super Rugby to new All Blacks coach Dave Rennie, according to former All Black James Parsons.

“I’ve seen enough of Scott Barrett to know he will be picked. I’ve seen some pretty good form over 12 years, he will be there,” Parsons said, speaking on Aotearoa Rugby Pod.

“It’s very rare you’ve seen him have a dip in form. I know everyone got into him, it’s no different to when Sam Cane became captain, everyone piles on.

“But when you look at the output, and you do an analysis of what he still did, captaincy or not. Like, results dictate people’s opinion quite a lot in this country, and rightly so, they’re not experts, that’s fine…but in my opinion, you pick him every week.”

While the Crusaders are unlikely to be boosted by Barrett after their bye, fullback Will Jordan is on track to face the Chiefs in what will be his first appearance since suffering a calf injury ahead of the team’s round nine game against the Reds.

Pivot Taha Kemara (knee) and wing Chay Fihaki (hamstring) are also on track to return for the Crusaders’ final two matches.